Two-Fer: Urban Camo Shopping and Flashback; Friday Floral

We made it! The weekend is here! Today, I have a bigass Two-Fer for you, with Thursday's shopping outfit and Friday's work ensemble. I'll be doing a Flashback on my Urban Camo dress, and also sharing my shopping finds - I had gift cards from L to two of my favourite thrifts, the Patch and Flavour Upstairs. It's like the man knows me. 

Let's kick it off with my Urban Camo dress, shall we?

I'm going on 7 years with this dress! It's even survived the giveaway pile. 

• Dress - Dept, thrifted; last worn here in October 2019 in a very similar outfit
• Boots - Matisse, consignment; last seen here in December 2020 with gold to visit Mom
• Coat (below) - Danier Leather; last worn here in December 2020

I also call this my Autumn Camo dress, but it's more urban, so that's the name. 

I'm wearing a navy blue vintage full slip under it to extend the hem and to give myself warmth and smoothing, as the dress isn't lined. 

The pattern is so random, with blue, magenta, orange, tan, grey, white and red in it. 

It's a classic jammy dress - it's only missing pockets. 

Masked up - this is a tan/cream one from Mom. 

I don't like to be bulky when I'm shopping, so a nice slim leather coat. 

I also lucked out on the weather, which was NOT rainy, and only slightly windy. 

I do love Leather Weather. 

• Scarf - Lanvin, vintage 70s, consignment
• Leather gloves - consignment
• Bag - Roots, thrifted

The stuff: 

Good walking boots - I strolled to town, did my grocery shop (for later delivery), then walked down to Flavour, swinging by the Patch on my way home. I walked/stood/shopped for close to five hours. My feet were tired, but not from my boots. 

Minimal bling:

I wrapped the silk scarf around my neck to fill in the neckline and keep me warm - while I shopped, I tied it to the strap of my bag. 

• Belt - Sand Castles, thrifted
• Earrings - gift from Mom
• Lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes

I checked in on Vizzini before I left in the morning. 

"Whatever, just go."

All good - he yowled and clamoured for food the minute I got home, so I guess he missed me? 

Of course, you're dying to see what I found! I'm shopping vicariously for all of you who are on lockdown (I observed all precautions while I shopped - I went in three stores and I was the only customer for most of the time). 

First off, Flavour Upstairs. I had $50 from L, so I said "yes" to a couple of things I might not have otherwise bit on. 

I'm happy to see that Flavour Upstairs has started bagging up their jewelry for sale! They always had good stuff in the case, and now they have them out in baggies. 

I saw that this bracelet was tiny - I have very small wrists, and most bracelets fly off my hands. This fits perfectly.

I really liked the hinged metal clasp and the faux tortoiseshell.

There are a couple of small chips in it, and it's definitely been loved. 

The plastic material is has no mould line and the edge is filed, so that part was probably heat moulded from a long strip of that material into the C shape. 

I think it's plastic as opposed to Bakelite, but I haven't done the baking powder test yet (check out Jess' tips here!). Anyway, it was only $4.00.

I really liked the spiral shape of these gold and gemstone earrings. 

They have support backs on them!

I love it! I have to avoid really heavy earrings now, as my 50+ year old ear-lobes can't handle them. 

I found a mark on it: 

Can you see it? It says "RFM." Well, how about that - they are by Roberto by RFM and are the "spiral design" earring, retailing for $41.80, on sale for $20.90 (here, link 'cause I love). His full name is Roberto Faraone Mennella, and he rose to fame after contributing a bunch of jewelry to Sex and the City (info link here). 

How cool! Not bad for $10.00! They are really comfy to wear too - I hope they don't get tangled in my mask elastics. 

I spotted this lovely orange belt. 

I've been on the lookout for an orange belt, but I'm fussy. It has to be good quality. 

I like the leather on the back of the buckle. 

There's a small tear in the leather near the end. 

It's real eel skin, not printed/embossed into leather, so it's very thin and delicate. 

What! It's Yves Saint Laurent!?

For $13.00. 

I'm pretty sure you could add at least one 0 to that, even for a second-hand belt! 

L bought this purse for me with the gift card - I would not normally have gone for it, but he always urges me to buy good quality stuff. I get spoiled by cheap things! This purse was $24.99.

This is another real eel skin piece. The hardware is heavy brass, with acrylic "amber" inserts along the top. 

It's missing the long chain strap - there are loops at the sides for it. I'm guessing its previous owner took them off to use it as a clutch and then misplaced it. 

I love the grey/blue colours. It's a decent size - I'll be able to carry a few things in here. 

It's lined in soft blue velvet, and the zip pocket has lots of room too. 

There is no content tag, just an Ingledew's label ("for the great names in fashion"). Sadly, Ingledew's closed in 2017, after 102 years of being a shoe store in downtown Vancouver (there was an Ingledew's in Hillside Mall in Victoria) - CBC article here, and there's a great slideshow at the bottom. This purse probably had a pair of matching shoes - can you imagine?

L also bought me most of this dress with the gift card. 

I'll show you a close-up of the fabric in a second - this is most definitely a very 60s/70s material. 

The black part - which has a collar! - is a polyester or nylon knit. 

Otherwise, it's just a classic sheath shape. 

It buttons up the front. 

Look at those glorious colours! This will live in my summer wardrobe (picture it with all my bright shoes!), but I'll sneak in a winter styling of it. 

Fancy metal buttons.

The patterned part is printed, and is also a polyester or nylon. You can see the thick 70s knit of the black fabric there. 

I found little black belt loops on the sides. 

I bet it had a black belt, probably one of those yucky stiff ones. 

I found the union label, so you know it's old. That's the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, and this is the Canadian version (the letters UIOVD are the French acronym). 

This particular label was used from 1968 to 1984, so there's the range. Let's call it 1970s. 

It's by Mr. Edward! So you know it's classy. 

It was $29.99. I love the fun pieces that I find at Flavour! 

As I was walking up Johnson Street, I noticed that Reunion Boutique is closing. Aw...that's where I bought my silver boots back in November 2020. They had an extra 25% off everything, so I popped in to see if there was anything that caught my eye, and I found a black leather backpack. 

I already own a travel-style backpack, but I wanted something I could carry my shoes to and from work in, along with my wallet and assorted other daily needs, instead of carrying a purse plus a bag (as I currently do). I have shoulder issues from years of carrying bags one-sided, and so prefer cross-body for purses; lately, that issue has been flaring up again, so a backpack has been on my "Want" list for a while. 

This is a solid, thick leather, unlined. The two straps are secured on one side, and feed through one loop on the top back and one through the bottom back. 

There are snaps on either side of the opening. I prefer them done up when carrying the bag, as it snugs the opening tightly closed.

You can undo the snaps and pull the straps through to make this a tote-style bag (which is what I did after I bought it, shoving all my Flavour purchases into it). It can also be worn on one shoulder, if I feel like it.

In addition to the two simple deep pockets on the front, there is one deep one inside. 

I also realized that you can adjust the length of the straps this way - see the knot at the bottom of the bag? I used it on Friday as my work bag, and it was awesome. My shoes (and boots!) fit inside it, plus my wallet in the pocket and a few other odds and ends inside. 

It's by Able, a Nashville, Tennessee-based company, dedicated to ethical employment and helping women end poverty (95% of their staff are women). Link here 'cause I love.

My backpack is called the Selam and retailed for $251.00. However, it was marked down the original price to $195.00, plus an extra 25% off. 

So it was $146.25, as you can see. I plan to use it every day that I go out for work or shopping. Am I worried about it getting scuffed? Nope, it's already scuffed - that doesn't bother me. Will I protect it from the rain? Nope, don't care. It's skin - it's not going to disintegrate. I already wrap my shoes in a plastic bag so that they are protected. I don't mind that the pockets are not zippered, as I just intend to use it for hoofing to and from work. If I travel, it's back to my zippered backpack. 

From there, I spent over 2 hours in the Patch, going through everything upstairs and downstairs (in their very crowded vintage section). Again, I was mostly the only person in the store. 

They have a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale on, and I had another $50 gift card from L. 

This grey wool blend skirt caught my eye - embroidery! I like the bold gold zipper down the front too. 

It's by Ann Taylor Loft, and would have been $14.95...but it was FREE!

You know I love a free skirt. 

Again, I heard L's voice in my head when I spotted this coat. 

It's cream with navy blue. I love the nice collar, the buttons and the fun pockets. 

No slit in the back. 

Pocket detail: 

As you can see, the design is woven, not printed. 

"Material loomed in England" but no other tags or labels on it. I suspect it is wool - you can see a slight fuzz on it in the detail pics below. 

Lovely satin lining. 

It had three small stains down the front. 

See them? 

A quick squirt with my Folex and they are nearly invisible. 

Once the Folex dried, you'd be hard pressed to figure out where they were. 

The only tag (besides the price tag) was this pink one. 00711. No idea what that meant, but I removed it. 

It was marked at $54.95, minus the gift card from L, so this coat was $4.95.

Name That Coat! I need a name for this beauty, as she doesn't have a label and I need a unique name to search for the last time I wore it (once I start wearing her). I considered the Checked Queen, as a cute nod to chess, but then I ran out of ideas, ha ha! Let's hear what you come up with!

My second "buy 2" item is also missing a label, but I have a name for it: the Puzzle Dress. 

Isn't it magnificent?? 

Here's a good look at the pattern. 

Yellow, and magenta, and red, and blue, and navy, and caramel! I love that this looks like interlocking puzzle pieces. 

I am sure that this was a homemade dress - there are no tags or serging on it, just raw edges of the fabric, with a small amount of cloth interfacing at the neck and cuffs. Look at that classic 1970s double-knit polyester! 

Note that whoever made it had issues with the self-covered buttons at the cuffs. I hope that doesn't fall off. It seems secure, though. 

The zipper is plastic, with a small metal pull.

, and there are two hook-and-eyes at the top of the zip and at the top of the back collar. 

There are two hook-and-eyes at the top of the zip and at the top of the back collar. 

It was $36.95, and worth every penny, in my opinion. I'm excited to wear it! 

It's the classic "tattooed lady" dress - it covers up all of my ink. 

Flashback: Dept "Urban Camo" Dress

I purchased this dress here in October 2014 for $8.00 at the Women In Need (WIN) Boutique, dashing in for a quick perusal while L was buying a guitar stand. It caught my eye, and I had to dash - I bought it without trying it on!

After all, if it didn't fit, then I'd only be out $8.00, right? 

Dept is a pretty high-end brand - it's based in the Netherlands - and I sometimes see their pieces at Dots. I'm sure this would have been at least 10 times that ($80) or more originally. The fabric seems to be custom, as there are little "Dept"s all over it.

I first wore it in October 2014, pairing it with a vintage caramel belt and my orange Fluevogs (sadly gone to the great 'Vog graveyard in the sky). 

As I mentioned earlier, I wear a full-length slip under this - that's a deep orange one I'm wearing there. 

There is so much potential for pairing it with different colours - I love patterns that let me mix a variety of shoes and belts and accessories. 

But maybe not bright blue tights...This outfit is from December 2014. 

L and I went on a "rock & roll" holiday in October 2015, to both Seattle and Nashville - all I packed was two pairs of shoes, a jacket and three dresses, and this was one of them. 

It was awesome for travel, light enough for the higher temps in Nashville, and kept my arms covered from the sun. Boot Flashback here. 

Posing in the hotel. I wore the dress twice over 4 days. 

Shoe Flashback here. 

I was wearing it when I met Megan Mae! 

Yay! We'd known each other for about 5 years then.

I paired it with my new-to-me Fendi belt (Flashback here) in July 2016. 

Bare-legged and wearing boots (Flashback here) in the summer! At this point, I was feeling "meh" about the dress, and tossed it in the giveaway pile. 

After an outcry from you readers, I retrieved it and wore it again in August 2016, just chucking it on when we got back from our summer trip to Powell River. 

Vizzini is huffily stalking into the picture to complain, I'm sure. 

Get ready for a run on this belt, starting here in January 2017. I'm not terribly creative in how I style this dress! 

Apparently blue tights are fine if it's not my full leg. I have not done a Flashback on those boots yet. 

I'm amused by my hair getting longer and changing colour...this is October 2017.

I'm wearing the same navy blue slip in a lot of these pictures (I've had it for well over 10 years). Shoe Flashback here.

A few months later, in January 2018, with my new velvet Fluevog boots (Flashback here). Around this time, I again decided to put the dress in the giveaway pile. 

Why? I don't reach for it, it doesn't inspire me, I get bored of it. Nooooooo! cried my readers. So again, I fished it out. 

November 2018 - everything is familiar, except the shoes. 

I did not like them, so passed them along. 

Note the rare wearing of the matching tie belt, in March 2019. I usually leave it on the hanger. 

A chunky sneaker this time. I gave those to my colleague Jessica last year.

And here's the last time I wore it in November 2019.

By now, it's become an old favourite. It's washable, barely wrinkles, and it hides everything. Plus, I love the sleeves and the cowl neckline. It's a total jammy dress! 

Mathy stuff: The current outfit brings us to 14 wearings which works out to 57 cents per wear. And it's staying, no fear! I have learned my lesson, thanks to all of you! 

Friday's work outfit incorporated two of my new purchases. The floral skirt gets to be the first thing worn.

I will likely keep it out for spring/summer as well, as the colours in the embroidery actually go better with my warm-weather clothing/shoe collection.

• Sweater - J. Crew, thrifted; first worn here in October 2020 for brunch in leopard
• Skirt - Ann Taylor Loft, thrifted; purchased right here above for FREE!
• Shoes - Pilgrims Truths, Fluevog; last seen here in July 2020 with a striped jammy dress
• Coat - Topshop, consignment; last worn here in November 2020

When I put this orange sweater with it last night, I thought it matched the orange in the flowers perfectly. 

In the light of day (and the office), I realized...there is no orange in the skirt! 

Eh, whatever. It goes. 

I don't have an issue with the lack of decoration on the back (although, it would be nice). That does look rather boring, though. 

Masked up - this is a speckled green one from Mom. 

I think green will go nicely with this skirt too. 

Outerwear - I decided to go trendy instead of matchy. 

I'm not wearing a lot of layers in my outfit (I have an additional cami under the sweater), and this coat is WARM. 

• Gloves - Parkhurst

Then I put on my new backpack, and I'm ready to go! 

This is before I put the shoes in it, obviously, but it was great to have my hands completely free on the way to work. You can see how it is nicely closed when it's on. 

The stuff: 

I had red heels pulled out then went, "Nahhhhhh..." this morning and swapped them out for these lovely low comfy ones. 

Simple bling: 

I have been passing by my big earrings due to mask-wearing, but I have missed these! It was worth it - I'm a pro at masks now. 

• Earrings - consignment
• Klimt ring - consignment
• Jade/brass ring - vintage 1970s, Mom's

Well, my friends, I'm off to enjoy my weekend, and I wish the same for you! Stay safe, take care and be kind. Thanks so much for dropping by.